Before Visiting Punjab, Rahul Gandhi Must Clarify: What Assistance Have Alliance Governments Provided to Punjab? – Baliawal

Chandigarh, September 14, 2025: BJP Spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal has raised pertinent questions ahead of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit to Punjab in the aftermath of the recent floods.

Baliawal stated that Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and other alliance partners currently govern eight states across the country. He questioned how much financial assistance or relief material these governments have extended to Punjab during this crisis. He urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab Congress President Raja Warring to present this data publicly so that the people of Punjab may clearly know which parties genuinely stood with them in their time of distress.

Highlighting the contrast, Baliawal noted that while both the state government and the Congress party continuously question central assistance, they have not shown the will to extend help from states where they themselves are in power. He further remarked that during the critical period when Punjab was inundated and people were suffering immense hardship, Rahul Gandhi was abroad in Malaysia. According to Baliawal, the timing of Rahul Gandhi’s Punjab visit now indicates a political spectacle rather than a sincere concern for the flood-affected population.

He underlined that the Central Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already provided Punjab with ₹1,600 crore in immediate relief, in addition to the ₹12,000 crore available with the Punjab Government under the State Disaster Response Fund. He further mentioned that BJP-ruled states such as Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, and Haryana have each contributed ₹5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Alongside financial support, several BJP governments have dispatched thousands of trucks and train wagons carrying rations and essential supplies for flood victims. Throughout this period, BJP leaders and workers across Punjab have been continuously engaged in relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Concluding his statement, Baliawal asserted that Rahul Gandhi must answer why Congress-ruled state governments have demonstrated indifference and apathy toward Punjab’s suffering. He emphasized that the people of Punjab deserve transparency on who truly stood by them in their hour of need.